More on demonstrated interest
October 30th, 2017You may have heard the term “demonstrated interest” in reference to college admissions – we’ve probably discussed it – but are you still wondering what it means and how important it is during the admissions process?
You’re demonstrating interest when you show a school that you’re willing to engage and there’s a true possibility you’ll choose to enroll. It can come in the form of campus visits, interviews, attending college meetings at school, communication with admissions counselors, and interaction on colleges’ social media sites. Your demonstrated interest can be of great value to an admissions office when comparing two similar candidates.
Not all colleges consider demonstrated interest, though. Schools with minuscule acceptance rates and sky-high yield rates (Ivies, MIT, Stanford, etc.) don’t need to pay attention to this as they know just about everyone wants to enroll. Most public universities do not use demonstrated interest as a way to evaluate students, either. However, the vast majority of private colleges do pay attention to students’ engagement with them.
The article linked below from Inside Higher Ed raises an important social/economic equity issue tied to demonstrated interest. While we want our students to demonstrate interest in each college on their list to the best of their ability, our hope is that more colleges will help subsidize campus visits for students with limited means to make the trip. Face to face interaction with college representatives is highly effective, but if travel isn’t feasible, other means of engagement can also go a long way toward serious demonstration of interest.
Article referenced below from Inside Higher Ed
“Demonstrated interest” is one of the admissions criteria used by many competitive colleges — even though it may not have anything to do with an applicant’s intelligence or character. The term refers to ways that an applicant shows he or she is serious about enrolling at a given college. An applicant who calls with questions about a particular program is more valued than one who doesn’t communicate beyond applying. An applicant who visits shows more demonstrated interest than one who doesn’t, and so forth. Many colleges factor in demonstrated interest to admissions and aid decisions, wanting to admit applicants who will enroll. The idea is to have better planning and to improve the yield, the percentage of admitted applicants who enroll.
A new research paper suggests that demonstrated interest has become another way wealthy students have an extra edge — and recommends that colleges consider policy changes as a result.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed >>Tagged: Campus visits, College, Demonstrated interest, Interviews
Goldman Sachs video interviews help cast wider net
August 1st, 2016Edith Cooper, Goldman’s global head of human capital management said: “We want to hire not just the economics or business undergraduate but there is that pure liberal arts or history major that could be the next Lloyd Blankfein.”
Goldman Sachs, a multi-national investment banking firm, is now using video technology to improve the way they hire candidates. Goldman has for many years hired college students for summer or full-time positions after graduation. They typically limited their recruitment to about 400 colleges and universities with on-campus interviews.
Now, Goldman plans to open their search globally by using video interviews, hoping to gain more diverse employees with a wider range of backgrounds. It’s nice to think that our Shrop Ed Skype meetings may prove an excellent training ground for such interviews.
Will other major companies follow, and will undergraduates everywhere find that they have greater access to high-powered career opportunities? Today’s digitally savvy students are very well poised to capitalize on this trend, if so.
Article published June 24, 2016
Goldman Sachs is scrapping face-to-face interviews on university campuses in a bid to attract a wider range of talent. The US investment bank will switch to video interviews with first-round undergraduate candidates from next month. Each year the bank hires about 2,500 students as both summer and full-time analysts. Goldman hoped the move will allow it to find students from a broader range of disciplines.
Read more at BBC News >>Tagged: Career, Interviews, Liberal arts
Alumni Interviews
December 1st, 2015College interviews sometimes cause students to quake with nervousness, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Interviews rarely tip the scales for an admission decision; they more often confirm other information in an applicant’s file. Only now and then is an interview so strong or weak that it truly makes a difference. As with so many other things in life, preparation and understanding purpose and intent can be key to feeling prepared and confident.
Colleges with the most stringent competition for admission typically deploy alumni as interviewers, keeping them involved with the institution productively. Yale has very helpfully posted guidelines for alumni interview report-writing, giving us insight into what’s valued. We note two factors as especially important: intellectual depth and a clear understanding of the resources that the University presents. Please click through to the Yale link below and let us know what additional factors you note.
Let us know, too, if you find this link helpful. Good luck with interviews ahead!
Published by: Yale University
Sample Interview Reports
We offer these samples of actual interview reports or excerpts to highlight the kinds of commentaries that help the admissions committee make careful, informed decisions. For contrast, we’ve included examples of write-ups that could have been more influential with the addition of supporting detail. This selection is not fully representative of the many effective reporting styles used by ASC volunteers, but we hope it serves illustrative purposes. We’ve changed names and other identifying characteristics.
Read more at Yale Univeristy >>Tagged: Applications, College, Demonstrated interest, Interviews
Master the College Video Admissions Interview With These Tips
July 14th, 2015Can’t make it to a college campus, due to time, distance and or expense? Many colleges and universities are using video formats such as Skype to conduct admissions interviews now, allowing admissions officers to have one-on-one face time with prospective students who are unable to travel for an in-person interview. We liked the way Bradford Holmes highlighted several important things to consider when planning an interview via video communications.
Article published January 19, 2015
By: Bradford Holmes
An increasing number of colleges and universities are turning to video communications services like Skype to conduct interviews with prospective students. Video interviews combine the convenience of a telephone conversation with the face-to-face experience of an in-person discussion. If you will be participating in a video interview this year, check out these ways to help you wow the admissions representative.
Read more at US News >>Tagged: Applications, College, Interviews
